Pecan Pie

Happy Holidays! Hope everyone had a great Christmas/Hanukkah! I know my family in particular, is always going in a million different directions so it is always a treat to spend time with them.

This one is a Christmas special for my family, pecan pie! My mom and sister's favorite holiday treat! This recipe has been in my family for years - my grandma tore this recipe out of the Dear Abby column of the newspaper YEARS ago and the recipe has been in my family ever since.

Ingredients:
9" unbaked pie crust
1 cup of light corn syrup (light karo syrup)
1 cup  firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs slightly beaten
1/3 cup of butter (melted)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of pecan halves

Baking instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. I chose to use a pillsbury pre-made pie crust because it is quick and easy but you can of course make your own and I have done it in the past. Put the crust into a 9" pie pan. When doing the crust, I use my fingers to make the crust look "ruffley" if you will. (refer to picture). Use a fork to place tint holes in the base of the crust.


                                             


3. I added all of the ingredients except for the eggs and the pecans into a large bowl.

4. Then add in the eggs. Try to stir the eggs in as quickly as possible but do not over whip the eggs.


                                              


5. Pour mixture into the pie crust. Then I line the pie with pecans, making rings until I reach the center. I do this twice so it has two layers of pecans.


                                                    


6. Then bake in the oven until the pie is firm. Stick a tooth pick in it just to be sure but it should cook for about 40 minutes.

7. Let cool and then enjoy!


                                                       


 I made this pie on Christmas and we brought it to a holiday party - it was a HUGE hit! Needless to say there were no leftovers which in my mind means success!!!

Who You Calling Slutty?

I had no clue that these bars were called slutty brownies. One of my co-workers made them one day and they were heaven.

So when my class and I were gearing up for a 10 hour bus ride to New Orleans, LA., I had to make these.

The first layer of the slutty brownie is chocolate chip cookie, the second is double stuff oreos, and the third is brownie.

Ingredients for chocolate chip of cookie:
2 packages of toll house chocolate chip dough squares

** I have a "famous" chocolate chip cookie recipe that I use that is "magical" so I don't want to share it. But any cookie dough recipe or pre-packaged cookie dough will do. I said the cookie dough squares because those will lay down the best in the pan.

Ingredients of brownies:
1 box of brownie mix
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of water (I used milk)
2 eggs

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Get a 9x11 pan. I lined it with foil so it is easier to get the bars out of the pan. Put Pam on the pan




3. Make the cookie dough mixture or lay down the dough. Make sure it gets in the corner of the pan. It doesn't have to be too thick - it's just preference.

4. Lay down the oreos





5. Make the brownie mix and then pour it on top of the oreos. I made sure it got in all the corners and covered the oreos.




6. Cook in the oven for about an hour. I just eye balled it. You want to make sure the middle isn't too runny.

The result - DELICIOUS!!




I mean just ask Dawon.

Chicken? Plain? Boring? Nah!

Chicken has this perception as a boring protein. Chicken does have a bland taste but when you add flavor to it then its great!!

I am all about marinades - marinades are the best way to impart flavor in chicken. Letting the marinade soak in over night allows it to soak up the flavor and then putting in the oven ensures that it will be tender.

As I do like to be healthy (disclaimer - I don't eat 99% of the desserts I make), chicken is high in protein which is important obviously.

When I am preparing for the week sometimes I will buy a package of chicken and make different marinades for each one. This helps make prep for dinner every night super easy and different flavors keeps things interesting.

This is one of my favorite chicken marinades that I just discovered recently.



Ingredients: 
2 Teaspoons of garlic powder
2 Teaspoons of rosemary (dried)
1/2 Cup of balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons of dijon Mustard
1/8 Cup of lemon juice
1/4 Cup of soy sauce
1/4 Cup of Worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon of black pepper
3/4 Cup of brown sugar
2 Teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup of olive oil

To start, I add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them.

NOTE: I personally don't like using dried rosemary because all the petals get everywhere and it is not especially pleasant to eat it.



I then trim the chicken of any fat or blood vessels (GROSS!) and then I add it to a plastic baggie with the marinade.














I like to marinade the chicken for at least 24 hours.

To cook the chicken, I start out by cooking in a pan on medium heat. This helps to put some color on the chicken then I put it in the oven on 350 degrees.




Cooking it in the oven ensures that the chicken is tender. I think tough chicken is a deterrent for a lot of people to make it or want to eat it. But cooking chicken in the oven (what I call low and slow) is KEY!